DirtyWaterHotDog
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User ID: 625
DirtyWaterHotDog
3d ago
In this context, what does it mean for something to be a false flag ?
- Someone else killed him. They got the wrong guy.
- It's the right killer, but he was not working alone. He did this on direct instruction from a 3rd party.
- The killer was working alone. But, was targeted to be radicalized without his awareness. Some malicious party that even he is unaware of is orchestrating his brainwashing.
DirtyWaterHotDog
3d ago
I have only seen unequivocal sympathy.
Some Republican public faces have jumped to blaming the left for this. The response by Dems has been silence or carefully phrased clap backs towards those public faces, but not towards Kirk himself.
Can you give me examples of national Democratic politicians blaming Kirk ? Especially in the 24 hour frenzy following his death.
productive != produces outcomes.
productive = produces the outcomes you want.
Great violence almost always produces outcomes you don't want. Often, societies hit rock bottom as a result of this violence. In rare cases, a great leader rises and the society gets back on track again. But, that's the exception that proves the rule. With great violence, things always turn bad at first, and in most cases they continue to stay bad.
At the very least, violence should start with a clear outcome in mind. Or else, it's a riot.
If right-wing America was to turn violent today, what would it do ? Overthrow the friendliest Govt they've had in decades ? Replace democracy with something else ? Turn autocratic to suppress their enemies, and in the process become who they hate most ?
When I think of outcomes, there are radical options that are achievable democratically. If anything, they need significant funding. And a stable economic center is a prerequisite to executing on them.
- Too much crime - More prisons. Longer sentences
- Too many crazy people - Bring back asylums
- Institutional resistance - Defund them
Can't do any of these if you're inciting an internal revolution at the same time.
DirtyWaterHotDog
4d ago
at what point is political violence justified?
Never. Or, not as long as you 'live in a society'.
When society collapses, the conversation changes. Sri Lanka is a good example. It started as a stable middle income country. Within a few years, the govt. passed bills that put Sri Lanka on track to become a poor nation again. The nation went bankrupt. There was no plan. There was no democratic process for the removal of the Rajpakshas and peaceful protests had been futile. Here, political violence was justifiable. Political violence begets more political violence. It destroys national morale. It destroys the economy. It destroys institutions. If the current situation is going to cause these negative outcomes outcomes anyway, then political violence is justifiable. Otherwise, it's a net negative.
The US is at peak polarization right now. But, the system is still working. Economy is hanging in there. Broadly, violence is trending down. The average person's life in unaffected. They'd be none the wiser about this wider polarization if they disconnected from social media. That's a working society. At America's GDP, it is a fantastically working society. The narratives don't fit, but A LOT would have to go wrong for political violence to be justified in the US.
Remember, JFK & RFK were shot dead. MLK & MalcolmX were shot dead. Neither of them led to breakdown of civic society. The killings of Charlie Kirk and a young Ukranian refugee are tragic. But, in the grand scheme of things, they aren't politically significant events. I believe the same was true for George Floyd, and the riots were therefore unjustified. Yes, there's some schadenfreude about Kirk death. I don't believe it's an anomalous amount. Weird broken people always existed. Social media just makes them easier to find.
America has bounced back from worse. Yes, It took years. Yes, there were (now missing) responsible men on both sides of the isle who met in the middle. Yes, America wasn't facing a China sized existential threat at the time of these turmoils. But, the nation has shown the capacity to stay civilized in harder times.
I don't think we're even 1% of the way towards a situation that justifies political violence.
DirtyWaterHotDog
7d ago
Naah, we don't realize they're caricatures because they don't get portrayed with the over-the-top characterization that's common in Indian media.
A Hollywood equivalent would be Tarantino. Hanz Landa and Calvin Candie are comically evil. The African warlord in Lord of War is straight out of a caricature. Indian movies definitely portray local (Indian) villains as having a similar level of cruelty. Rocky 4's Ivan Drogo was as much a caricature of communist evil as Rocky was a quintessentially American.
To me, RRR is best understood as a Rocky movie. And it's a damn good one at that.
Now, you may argue that the British were never as evil as the Nazis, Stalinists or African warlords. But, there is little video evidence in support or against.
What we know is that India was a rich nation turned destitute over centuries of colonialism. India suffered from preventable famines that killed millions in a few decades. Famines of magnitudes that the nation hadn't seen for centuries prior. Indians and Hindus were treated as if they were sub-human (though nowhere as bad as chattel slavery). We know that the British decision makers of that time (Churchill, Dyer) are viewed as heroes of their home nation. Add all that up, and you can see how the British could be imagined to be as evil as the Nazis or African warlords.
I don't think the British were as evil as the movies portray them. Not even close. But, I think it's a fair price to pay in exchange for 3 centuries of winning.
DirtyWaterHotDog
7d ago
how did Muslims conquere the UK?
Canada is a great model to understand this dynamic. Despite being 2% of the population, Sikhs have outsized influence on Canadian political discourse.
If a group is transactional, ghettoized and votes together, then it can single handed swing elections in a divided nation. If 2% of the population can swing elections, then imagine what 7% Muslims can achieve in a significantly more divided nation.
A few factors put UK in a worse position than Canada or Europe.
- UK whites are more divided than European whites. Divided majority = powerful minority.
- Britain (and anglo countries in general) struggles to integrate immigrants into the culture, because Anglo culture is generally under-defined. Having exported its values globally, there is little it can claim exclusive ownership of. Suffering from success. In contrast, the French convert immigrants into french people first and foremost.
- Worse Muslims. Not all Muslims are created equal. UK's Muslims are ultra conservative Pahadis (from Pakistan) and rural Bangladeshis. These groups were ghettoized and under-integrated in their already conservative home countries. Integrating them into UK, is like playing on hard mode. Germany's Turks and France's north-Africans are much easier to deal with. Sweden has been dealt a similarly bad hand, and we can already see how that's going.
- Bad economy. The UK has been going downhill since the global financial crisis. Countries on the up have good optics. The US does this well. Because the American dream pays off, all sorts of misaligned cultures buy into the American dream. Winning is contagious. The UK ain't winning.
DirtyWaterHotDog
7d ago
I dislike white as an umbrella term, because Indian distaste is clearly towards a specific type of upper-class British oppressor. They are white. But more importantly, they are:
- white
- 18th century
- upper-class
- British
- men
All 5 together, create a caricatured evil. Make a small change, and the resulting individual isn't considered evil anymore. As you observed, gender is easiest to change, and a 'white 18th century upper-class British woman' becomes a protagonist.
Hollywood does this all the time. White isn't inherently evil.
1970s white Slavic USSR communist is evil. 19th century southern low-class slaver ? Shoot away. You have to tick all the check boxes. Even the Nazis are always in uniform. Among black people, the quintessential African warlord with a child army is obviously evil. The mountain dwelling bearded Islamist in traditional garb with ak-47s ? evil. Wrinkled old cougar with small dog and leopard print jacket ? Evil. In India, old & fat god man turned politician rings all types of alarm bells.
As bad as British atrocities were (the famines aren't talked about enough), the Catholics (Portuguese inquisition) and Mughals (specifically Aurangzeb) were leaders on cruelty. However, given that India has a large catholic & muslim population, it is difficult to portray them as explicitly evil without ruffling a few feathers. Not a lot of protestant whites in India. The British are an easy consensus target.
DirtyWaterHotDog
15d ago
By my estimate we have 3 or 4 desis here. (between what I suspect are alts and mains), but most of us are either outside India or will soon be outside India.
DirtyWaterHotDog
15d ago
Sorry, saw this late. But hope you had fun.
DirtyWaterHotDog
18d ago
Intuitively, subscriptions are a bad financial model for expenses with no upper bound. Addicts will drop hundreds or thousands more than they planned to if you catch them at the right point in their spiral. Gamblers, drugs or gooners... all the same.
DirtyWaterHotDog
18d ago
A part of me wants to meet up. Another part of me is scared of meeting my fellow motte racists. Can I mark myself as tentative ?
I recommend spending a Saturday morning & afternoon in Williamsburg. It's a special neighborhood. Up there for hottest people per capita anywhere in the world (I bring the median hotness down). Smorbasborg is great. Domino park is amazing and the Domino sugar building is my favorite new building in America. If you like climbing, then the indoor-outdoor bouldering wall at Vital is fun.
Williamsburg food crawl:
- Lindustrie (basil slice) OR Fini (long hot pepper slice) are 2 of NYC's best Pizza slices
- Esse Taco OR Tacqeria Ramirez = Turns out NYC now has amazing tacos (Ramirez is my favorite taco place anywhere in the US)
- 12 chairs OR Paolina - falafel/hummus/mezze platter.
- Birds of a feather for upscale sichuan - Curiously tasty chicken + cuman lamb are classic.
- Drinks - Kahwah house for Chai, Devocion for instagram coffee and Birdie for good vibes (and rotating foods)
There's best in class vintage stores (artists & fleas and surrounding blocks), wine bars (Sauced, or really any of them), Bath houses (bathhouse is legit, actually). Williamsburg is a 25 yr old white woman's dream. But, it's pretty great for all other demographics too.
Depending on if it was too much or too little, you can go south and spend time with the Hasidics or go east and spend time in Bushwick. It's unconventional people either way.
DirtyWaterHotDog
19d ago
Open carrying weapons is common in some American states, and nowhere else. By definition, this makes red states the exception. To each their own, but the base prior has to be that the 'woman wielding the unwieldy weapon was wrong'. The outrage was contrived.
Yeah, by default, weapons are illegal. If they believe otherwise, then the burden of proof is on the Americans. And the pudding ain't sweet.
DirtyWaterHotDog
1mo ago
- Rocky (1-4)
- Independence day (1996)
Some series (mostly 10 minute clips on Youtube)
- Supernatural (Season 1-6)
- House MD (As long as it's the OG crew)
- Chapelle show (especially this one)
- Would I lie to you (This video)
It's gotten worse, but the apps still work in some places.
For a straight man, a place must meet 3 criteria to have a good dating apps scene:
- Large - It's a numbers game. You needs lots of people. Top 10 Metropolitan statistical area is needed.
- Transient - Need young transplants coming in on a regular basis. Large grad student population is always good.
- Majority Female - Male demand >> Female supply. Having more women balances it out.
The NE corridor is probably the best place to be on dating apps. Boston - NYC - Philly - DC. West Coast (Seattle, Bay Area) is brutal. Note: Dating apps are hell for any man who isn't at least a 6.5/10, and stays a struggle until you make it past an 8/10.
Or whatever is the next hot thing in dating?
It's run clubs and pickleball. We're in the Lululemon era of dating, where you must demonstrate a commitment to nondescript-fitness to be an eligible bachelor.
DirtyWaterHotDog
1mo ago
What's his outlook towards the end of the book ? Is there a sense of deescalation with time, or is it the sort of hopeless resignation that I see from most experts ?
DirtyWaterHotDog
1mo ago
It doesn't work because his name is pronounced : "Mum-daani". MudMaani doesn't have the same ring to it.
DirtyWaterHotDog
1mo ago
Rat-adjacent spaces have a soft spot for jaded psychiatrists with penchant for writing. I am not surprised.
During the great awokening, lots of niche forums moved to private groups on discord and slack. TheMotte is a rare space that has both open conversation and is publicly accessible. Goes to show how badly Reddit fumbled the bag.
DirtyWaterHotDog
1mo ago
James Cameron gets spoken of in the same breath as Spielberg, but his movies lack introspection. He is an amazing filmmaker, amazing character writer but not a great philosopher.
His 2 most lasting works : Terminator and Titanic are character stories experiencing a larger than life event. The thing about character stories, is they're carried by great actors who bring those characters to life. Kate Winslet, Leo, Arnold and Linda Hamilton are the heart and soul of those movies. In contrast, not only are the actors of Avatar forgettable, but they're slathered in literally dehumanizing CG. It's not wonder that the colonel remains the most memorable character from the series.
I don't think there is a complex allegory hiding behind the Avatar movies. It was made in an era of peak environmentalism. "Humans are warlike creatures that will destroy the world for oil." I don't think there is much else to it. And I haven't seen anything from Cameron that'd make me change my mind on it.
DirtyWaterHotDog
1mo ago
Food Wars had so much potential. Behind all the titillation was a genuine coming of age story and a solidly executed food power system. It goes downhill real fast in the 2nd half. But the 1st half was a ton of fun.
Delicious In Dungeon
Can confirm that the manga ends with a conclusive and satisfactory ending. Worth it.
DirtyWaterHotDog
1mo ago
Frieren: At Journey's End, 10/10
Now, I'm not sure whether this score, which reflects my anime of the decade designation, translates to the general public, but it's very enjoyable
It's scary. Frieren is as close to a perfect as a manga gets. So much care and craft, and never places a step wrong. I'm worried that it has set an impossible bar for itself. From here on, anything but perfection will be a disappointment.
It's too freaking good.
So counter intuitive.
Mob Psycho 100: 7.5/10. In a nutshell: One Punch Man, but worse.
Huh, other way around for me. Liked both, but Mob Psycho is special.
Vinland Saga: Maybe an 8.5/10
9/10 for me.
The manga just ended. The 2nd half may not be brutal enough for your liking, but definitely worth a finish. This brand of Seinen tends to be stuck in haitus land. Ending it, and on a conclusive note is a major achievement.
Made in Abyss- 10/10
Alas, too much pedo energy for my liking. Well deserved 10/10 though.
Attack on Titan- 9.5/10.
Wow, the anime's last arc must be really good. I hated the manga ending. Felt like it was written in 1 evening. Must go watch it now.
Chainsaw Man: 7.5/10
That low ? Really ? I didn't watch the anime, but the manga was a 10/10 for me.
Some recommendations.
Koe no Katachi - 10/10 - If you must watch / read 1 thing. Choose this. I cried.
Grave of the fireflies - 0/10 - Fuck this movie. Ruined my entire month. So good it's horrible. No movie has hit me this hard. ever.
Dungeon Meshi - 9/10 - High fantasy dungeon crawler with a cooking gimmick and existential questions. Tight and gets tied together excellent. FMAB-esque.
Oyaji - 8/10 - Like Chainsawman, feels allegorical. Short read. You're mostly reading past the core narrative. like watching a single take movie that doesn't stop moving.
One Piece - I can't even/10 - One Piece is hard to describe. It transcends media. But always worth mentioning, because I want you to know it isn't over hyped. It is that good. One day it will end, and my life won't be the same anymore.
why are our politicians handing synagogues hundreds of millions
I'm ignorant here. Can you shed light on this ? What were the numbers like pre-Trump ?
Why did Trump specifically go after students who criticized Israel on social media, rather than students who criticize America or the West broadly?
That was the meat of my earlier post. Because Trump can frame criticism of Israel as hate speech in courts. Criticism of America & the West is free game.
Why do we, in effect, subsidize the entirety of Israeli society, from their subsidized colleges and subsidized healthcare to their subsidized religious institutions?
The US has given similar amount in aid to Egypt. Both use the money to immediately buy American weapons. At least Israel operates in tight lockstep with the American military. What does the US get by sending money to Egypt ?
Military funding is very difficult to decode. There's a reason the Pentagon fails every audit. I won't be attempting to itemize it, and neither should you.
no other than Ghislaine Maxwell’s father Robert Maxwell
Woah. I didn't know that the Maxwells has such deep ties to the CIA. Strong signal that Epstein was on CIA's payroll.
Discrimination against whites is a hard sell when the executives & the board are white[*]. Moreover, 'Trump voting white' isn't a protected category.
The China analogy doesn't work because China is naturally positioned as a competing power while Israel is strategically, culturally and spiritually positioned to be collaborative power.
Broadly, Jews are found in 2 places: US and Israel. When America flourishes, Jews flourish. That's to Israel's benefit. Strategically, Israel's enemies are Islamist. So, they want to ally with an anti-Islamist power : USA. Israel is a liberal & open democracy. It wants to ally with a liberal and open democracy : USA.
Israel wrecks the relationship with middle eastern countries
America wrecked its relationship with the middle east all by itself. Israel fought the Suez Crisis on US & UK's behalf. Saddam Hussein's overthrow was classic American overreach. Intervention in Afghanistan was first a cold war exercise, and later a response to 9/11. Syrian efforts were a proxy war against Russia. Iran-US relationships soured because the Shah was overthrown and Americans were taken hostage. Jordan and Israel actually have pretty decent relations. The Saudi, UAE and Israel relations have been on a consistent up and up. Qatar always plays all sides, Israel or no Israel.
So, can you name a country who's US-country relationships got wrecked by Israel ?
they were all about owning the libs by taking out DEI efforts specifically hurting Chinese people.
The analogy doesn't work because American Jews are 'the libs'. The majority of American Jews live in NY and California. American Jews (pre Oct 23) overwhelmingly voted for deep-blue candidates in deep-blue cities. They subscribed to generally 'blue' opinions such as : 'Netanyahu bad', '2 state solution good' and 'Trump bad'.
There is healthy skepticism towards Israel from within the Jewish community itself. America's temporary sycophancy towards Israel has more to do with recently empowered fundamentalist Christians signalling to their voter-base during Trump2, than a deeply rooted allegiance to Israel.
[*] The discussion of how specific whites are being discriminated against is longer conversation about the sub-racial dynamics among whites people. I think white groups (rich and poor) both benefit from not opening this pandoras box.
Discrimination towards Israel is a convenient legal hammer for Trump to pound on adversaries.
Under 42 U.S.C. § 5151, the President’s regulatory authority is limited to ensuring that all disaster assistance is distributed “in an equitable and impartial manner”
Trump is using Israel because he needs to find a credible example of 'partial' behavior by local govts. The American system has special carve-outs for provable hate crimes. There is decades of precedent on methods for associating anti-Israel-movements with antisemitism and therefore provable hate crimes.
Trump's govt (and the project 2025 playbook[1]) are strategic about finding loopholes for executive overreach. For universities, it was provable affirmative action. For local funding, it's Israel.
[1] I have not read project Esther in detail. But at face value, it seems to be the guiding document on how to use antisemitism as a cudgel to beat opposing institutions into submission.
Israel is effectively a forward deployed state of the USA. They do the dirty work on the vanguard, and shield America from criticism. For ex: I don't believe the Israelis could have developed Pegasus without a soft go ahead from the Americans.
I like transit - https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.thetransitapp.droid&hl=en_US
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